It seems ideal, doesn’t it? Tory politicians approving a new high-speed rail link to bring jobs and economic growth to the North.

No, I’m not talking about High Speed 2, the proposed link that will reduce journey times from London to Leeds and Manchester by an hour.

I’m talking about High Speed 1 – the original rail link from the Channel Tunnel to London that was given the go-ahead in the 1990s under John Major and Michael Heseltine.

The Tory Government made the same argument then as they do now with High Speed 2.

The North was promised that HS1 would deliver economic benefits by providing regional services to the continent from Manchester, Glasgow, Swansea and Plymouth. They even ordered 100 sleeper train carriages.

But when I became Transport Minister, I discovered the whole thing was a mess.

The Tories, in selecting the private consortium to build HS1, had chosen the cheapest bid based on over-optimistic forecasts of Eurostar revenue.

When this was exposed, the consortium ran out of money and came asking for £1.2billion. I told them where to go.

Instead, I rescued HS1 by issuing government bonds and restructured the project so we got a better deal for the taxpayer.

We even ended up selling the unused trains to Canada! It finished on time and on budget.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m in favour of HS2 but the North is being sold a pup.

The northern extensions to Leeds and Manchester are only being promised to make the case for London to Birmingham.

Costs are already spiralling with a current estimate of £32billion. But George Osborne says it will be an “engine for growth”. (Not that he’s generated any!)

But construction won’t start until 2017 and we’ll have to wait until 2033 – four Parliaments away – before we see the northern routes open and it could easily be cancelled for being too expensive or a planning nightmare.

If the Government’s really committed to growth, then upgrade the existing tracks north of Birmingham, lengthen the platforms so we can have more carriages and make wi-fi free on all the trains so people can work on the go.

And bring back my Regional Development Agencies – they were REAL engines for growth, for creating jobs and building businesses.

The Coalition scrapped them but even Heseltine admits it was a mistake.

The Government claims HS2 will produce an economic benefit of £2 for every £1 spent on it.

The RDAs delivered up to three times more than that to the economy!

HS2 is a northern con. By all means let’s go ahead, but I doubt we’ll see high-speed trains reach the North. This is all about getting buy-in for a fast route between London and Birmingham.

We need to go for growth NOW, not in 20 years’ time.

Your turn to talk, Jeremy

After listening to Radio 4’s highbrow Today programme, my guilty pleasure is... watching The Jeremy Kyle Show. I admire the way he intervenes in conflicts and helps his guests find some resolution. I did the same with Tony and Gordon for years!

I’m sorry to hear he’s been fighting testicular cancer. When I publicly admitted I was bulimic, calls from male sufferers to eating disorder helplines increased tenfold.

I wish Jeremy all the best and hope he’ll speak about his battle to inspire other men to get checked sooner rather than later. It’s good to talk, Jeremy!

Tale of two conferences

I’ve been in New Delhi at a conference far removed from the Davos World Economic Forum.

Where Davos saw the architects of the global financial crisis desperately looking for ways to find growth while begging to return to “business as usual”, the Sustainable Development Summit revealed a better way to prosperity.

The delegates came from 18 developing countries representing two-thirds of the world’s population and over 60 per cent of the poor. But they’re producing much faster economic growth than us!

India is targeting 8 per cent this year, while we’re slipping back into recession. The developing world thinks long-term. For them, it’s about resource efficiency, using less to get more. Not making a fast buck for greedy bankers.

Tax will poleaxe Tories

In the run-up to New Year the world’s media seemed obsessed with the fiscal cliff the nightmare scenario in the US if deep spending cuts and tax increases had gone through on January 1.

Obama managed to avert it.

Now our Government is due to push millions of the poorest families over our own financial precipice in April.

First, 670,000 households on housing benefit will have to pay between £11 and £20 a week for spare bedrooms in their homes.

The aim of this dreaded “bedroom tax” is to save £500million and free up capacity by making people move to smaller homes. But it fails to take account of carers looking after disabled loved ones or servicemen and women going back to their parents’ homes after defending our country.

Second, there’ll be radical cuts to council tax benefit.

Originally administered by the Government, Eric Pickles is cutting the budget by 10?per cent and making cash-hit councils administer it.

A report by the Resolution Foundation says three-quarters of England’s local authorities will have to put up council tax by up to £600 a year for over three million of the poorest households.

It’s a cowardly way for the Government to avoid taking the flak for benefit cuts. But it won’t work. In 1989, the

Tories introduced the poll tax for councils to collect.

It led to mass non-payment, riots and the overthrow of the Prime ­Minister. Voters didn’t blame the councils. They blamed Thatcher. And an out-of-touch government didn’t recognise how unpopular it was until it was too late. The Tories are making the same mistake. Like last time, public anger will force them over the edge.